ITEP estimates that households that are headed by undocumented immigrants (which may include members who are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants) paid $11.2 billion in state and local taxes last year. That included $1.2 billion in personal income taxes, $1.6 billion in property taxes and $8.4 billion in sales taxes.

Higher in the story, the columnist compares that figure to taxes paid by General Electric, which earned $14 billion last year, and “is reported to have paid nothing, nada, zero in taxes (GE denies it).”

Here’s more from the columnist:

To no one’s surprise, taxes are still as certain for working people – and whatever is left of the middle class – as they ever were. But for, well, GE and other corporate giants, the only certainty is that many found ways to contribute as little to the country’s coffers as possible.

At the same time, Republicans in Washington are involved in a mighty struggle to protect the tax breaks of the country’s richest 2%, while happily proposing to cut the most basic social services to Americans who really need them.